Hey guys. Sorry for taking longer than usual with the update. Life is busy at the moment. The fair's in town! Ha, yay. Ok thanks to all the usuals, you know who you are, I love you guys to death and your reviews always make me smile and laugh so I hope when I wake up tomorrow I'll have a few to cheer me up.
SHOUTOUT TO MY TOP REVIEWERS AND THE AMAZING BETA!!!
And now the chapter; enjoy…
----------------------------------------
CHAPTER 15
----------------------------------------
As the huntress fell into deep unimpeded sleep amongst the coiling roots of the ancient tree a large group of lesser vampires armed to the tee crept silently through the dank underground catacombs that stretched far beneath the mansion. They were trained well and moved as a unit, sneaking stealthily through the tunnels till they came to the ladder they wanted. One by one in rapid succession they climbed quickly up, never once slipping on the slick wet rungs of the creaking ladder. Sliding aside the heavy material that concealed the entrance to the tunnel,the leader of the clandestine group expertly scanned the setting for any signs of the master's guards. Seeing none, he hauled himself out of the passageway, his comrades quickly following suit.
With the skill of expertly trained mercenaries, the group crept as quietly as their lesser vampire blood would allow and successfully took out three werewolf guards before finally coming to the main level of the mansion; suddenly the atmosphere of the group changed and all at the once their cool and secretive demeanor turned into one of fiery rebelliousness and anxious bloodlust. Fangs grew, claws extended and swords were unsheathed as the leader raised his, hand ready to give the signal. With a final sweep of his arm the gesture unleashed the wrath of the undead warriors. The lesser vampires immediately swarmed the main level with a vengeance; their blades swinging and eyes glowing a familiar demonic red as they mercilessly attacked anything in their way, be it werewolf, vampire, or anything in between.
----------------------------------------
"So they made their move have they?" Dracula drawled as he sat unconcerned in his great chair, the sound of screams and the clashing of swords echoing throughout the halls the mansion.
"Yes master," Lucas replied, his great hands flexing and releasing as he yearned to join in the massacre. The lesser vamps would learn their place; he would make sure of it.
"Let them believe they have the upper hand for a bit," he said, his eyes gleaming maliciously, "find out who leads them." He paused for a moment. "Gavin," he continued, directing his attention to his first high lord who stood calmly at the window, "I want you to detain this rebel leader but I want him alive. After that Lucas may step in and take care of the rest of these pathetic dissenters, I care not what you do to them."
"As you wish master," the two vampire lords replied sweeping into a low bow.
"And Lucas," Dracula said as he turned to leave, "I want you to find Rumus as well; I'm sure he'll enjoy a bloodbath…he's been far too melancholy of late -- it's time he once again joined in the hunt." Lucas nodded and followed Gavin out the door, shutting it with a small click.
Dracula gracefully rose to his feet. Perhaps he would go join in the fray, he thought as he leisurely sipped cool blood from a golden goblet; the frenzied feeding of the trackers in the cave had sustained his hunger for fresh blood, but not his lust for the kill. They had died too quickly and too easily; no fun for one who thrives on the pleasure of playing with his victims -- these lesser vamps should be a much more satisfying slay.
His decision made; Dracula effortlessly morphed into his beast form and headed out the great doors. The shine of his black skin reflected off the torchlight and his hellish red eyes glowed menacingly in growing anticipation as he moved slowly down the now empty corridors. Talons extended, wings spread, and fangs elongated as the roar of battle came nearer and the alluring scent of blood stronger. Running footsteps could be heard coming his way and Dracula grinned as his first prey of the night rounded a corner and came face-to-face with the vampire king.
Unable to change into beast form, the lesser vampire skidded to a halt in his human form, dropping his bloodstained sword to the marble floor with a loud clang. For a split second, Dracula could see the younger vampire's eyes widen in first surprise and then fear before his head was completely severed from his body as Dracula sliced clean through his neck with one powerful swipe of his razor sharp claws. The headless body stood there for a moment in ghastly stillness before it slumped unceremoniously down to the floor; a river of stolen blood flowing from the lesser vampire's headless neck.
So they do bleed, Dracula mused emotionlessly as he watched the crimson liquid stain his expensive rugs; he'd always been amused by the fact that the furthest of his lesser descendants didn't even turned to ash. Hardly more vampire blood than a mortal, he thought with disgust; they did not even deserve the title of a vampire.
Entering the grand hall, Dracula scanned the scene before him; the lesser vampires were busy fighting with a squad of werewolves and he could tell the rebels were becoming more and more confident by the moment as his werewolves retreated tactfully back. They actually think they're winning, Dracula observed in silent amusement. The vampire king stepped to the top of the stair case and all eyes turned to look at the ferocious sight of the pureblooded demon beast. This was why people bowed to him, this was why people respected him, but most of all, this was why people feared him. Dracula unleashed a shattering roar that shook the windows as his eyes pulsed in power and bloodlust that made the already cold blood of the lesser vamps turn to ice. Play time was over. As if on silent command, the werewolves simultaneously stopped toying with their food and sprang forward on the offense with the same thought running through their minds; it was time to feed.
----------------------------------------
Fleur was pulled abruptly out of her peaceful slumber when an ear shattering roar echoed throughout the castle. Springing to her feet Fleur moved quickly towards the stairs to the conservatory tower, what in the world was going on? She hurried down the stairs and felt the hazy ruminants of sleep leave her as the sound of swords clashing and yelling reached her ears. Unconsciously her thoughts once again became guarded as she moved quickly down the empty corridors. Turning a corner she gasped in shock at the scene that lay before her. A sea of carnage and gore could be seen from the top of the stairs and Fleur felt her stomach roll as nausea crept up on her. The smell of blood and death filled the air and she wanted to turn away but found she couldn't. The looming figure of a huge werewolf caught Fleur's eyes and she flinched in disgust as he mercilessly bit the arm off the vampire he was battling with and pounced on the wounded undead rebel. Fleur forced herself to look away before the werewolf could go any further; she only knew of one person who had that particular light green shade of eye color and her gentle image of him had just been brutally destroyed.
Staying out of the range of battle, Fleur silently crept along the top of the staircase, watching the scene as it unfolded gruesomely before her. The great beast form of Dracula stood surrounded in the middle of the hall, fending off attack after attack from the lesser vampires with the practiced ease of a four-century-old warrior. His moves were so rapid and so stunningly precise that it made the trained lesser vamps looked like no more than amateurs when compared to his lethal dance. Around him two large vampires were also taking out the lesser vamps as though it wasn't much more than a game to them. The bigger of the two crushed the skull of his opponent with glee shinning in this crimson eyes and Fleur felt her stomach give another lurch as the bloody, mangled mess sank to floor. Fleur was, just then, jolted into awareness that this battle wasn't a battle at all…it was a massacre. The higher vampires and werewolves were playing with these rebels; Fleur felt anger rise in her gut at the sickness of their game.
Noticing for the first time the great door that stood on the opposite side of the great hall, Fleur slipped unnoticed down one of the staircases and clung to the shadows of the atrium walls as she inched towards the front entrance of the mansion. Several times she had to freeze mid-step or sprint quickly out of the way to avoid being sucked into the chaos of the battle that raged around her. If she could only get to the door, she thought desperately, then perhaps she could slip out and hide in the city somewhere till it was safe to move again. She knew it was would be more than dangerous for a human to walk the streets of Bucharest but she couldn't stay here; everyday she felt her mind getting weaker from fatigue;even her brief rest today had done little to replenish her energy – it was only a matter of time till Dracula broke through her barriers and Fleur shivered at the thought of what he could do to a susceptible mind. No, she had to escape, and soon.
Finally she reached her destination and had just managed to pull the door slightly open before someone reached over her head from behind and slammed it shut once again with an echoing slam! Dread curled in her stomach as Fleur remained motionless facing the door; she could feel the familiar looming presence at her back and didn't need to turn around to know Dracula stood closely behind her, his gaze burning into the back of her head. Gathering her courage and reinforcing her mental blocks Fleur took a deep breath and turned. Dracula stood there, his eyes filled with the remnants of burning bloodlust and gleaming amusement as he towered over her in his beast form with an aura of superiority and arrogance that made Fleur want to shrink back and blend into the wall.
"Going somewhere my pet?" he purred, bending down slightly and letting her feel the full power of his hypnotic gaze as he looked into her eyes; it felt as if he were staring right into her very soul. Fleur felt a flash of fear and queasiness shoot through as she spied his blood stained talons; Dracula watched intrigued as the color abruptly left the young mortal's face. Perhaps she's squeamish; he thought curiously and tucked the thought in the back in his mind.
Dracula continued to stand over the mortal, and although she stood straight and tall, her gaze never wavered from his own intense stare -- he could sense her back tensing as anxiety clouded her emerald eyes.
"It seems I have neglected you today my pet," he drawled, taking a purposeful step forward and cupping her check in his hand. Fleur's eyes immediately flashed at the touch but she wisely remained silent; Dracula's good moods came and went with no warning and the phantom sting on her back from her recent whipping was a constant reminder to be wary of his temper. "Don't worry," he continued, rubbing his sharp claw lightly over the soft skin of her face, "I'll have plenty of time for you later tonight, you will be dining privately with me so I suggest you wear something befitting." As if you have a choice. "And," he went on, his eyes slightly darkening, "I expect you to be on you very best behavior or the consequence will be most…unpleasant." Dracula impulsively materialized them both out of the grand hall and back to the privacy of his darkened chambers. "You will stay here," he stated, his eyes glittering as his gaze swept down her modestly clad form, "I will call on you in a couple of hours. I look forward to having the pleasure of your company tonight my pet, but until then I bid you adieu." Fleur shivered at the tone of his parting words as he once again vanished. As much as she loathed the idea of dining with the count, it was nothing compared to the feeling of repulsion she felt at the suggestiveness of his tone, she knew that eating may not be the only thing on his mind tonight…
----------------------------------------
Fleur paced back and forth across the spacious chambers later that night, her green eyes burning with ill-concealed nerves and anger. I don't care if he is a vampire king, the irrational part of her mind screamed with frustration, he has no right to order me how to dress…even if his taste is impeccable. Fleur shook her head in denial as the unbidden thought slipped through her mind and she once again resisted the urge to run her hand across the silky black material that covered her body. She had no idea how she looked since there was no mirror in the chamber but Fleur had a feeling that despite the fact the gown was uncharacteristically concealing, it clung quite tightly to both her hips and bust and Fleur knew it wouldn't take a lot of imagination to guess what lay beneath the clingy dress. At least it's not as revealing as yesterday's outfit, she mused, her face burning in humiliation as she remembered the daring slits that had adorned that particular gown. Never had she felt so exposed and she shivered again at the memory. Exasperated, she hurled herself onto the side of the bed with an undignified huff. The day's earlier events had shaken her more than she liked to admit and all evening she'd felt the familiar feeling of being trapped within the stonewalls that separated her from the world outside.
She needed air, she needed space, and she needed her freedom. These were things that had fed her soul her entire life and the fact that she had once again been brutally stripped of them made her eyes sting in both sadness and frustration. The first thing she'd done after Dracula had made his dramatic exit was run to the door only to find the conniving vampire had locked her in! Resisting the urge to beat on the doors Fleur had then tried the terrace doors to find they too were barred from the outside and the only place she had left to go was the windowless tower. Fleur shivered as she sat on the comfortable bed remembering the feeling of waking up in the coffin; she would never so much as enter that room again if she could help it.
Fleur lay back on the bed, her hair flowing out to pillow her head in a dark halo as she pondered what the manipulative count had in mind for tonight. She felt her heart sink as she considered the options; none of them sounded very appealing. He would probably try to get into her mind again, she thought bleakly…he'd been far too patient of late and she knew his tolerance was limited. Fleur sighed, the depressing thought making a frown appear on her face as she continued to think. Or, she mused, he'll try to seduce me again. Flashbacks of the night in Slatina raced through her head and Fleur shut her eyes tying to block them out; the feelings he'd brought out in her that night were so new to her, never had she felt like she'd wanted something so bad she'd been willing to ignore her instincts, her pride, even her morals. Fleur knew it was part of being a vampire... that pulsing sexuality they always seemed to radiate, but of all the vampires she'd met, his aura exuded it the strongest; a fact that worried her to no end. Added to this, the fact that he'd yet to make a comment about her attempt to escape filled her gut with nerves. As much as Fleur wanted to delude herself into thinking he'd overlook the incident, the rational part of her mind knew he had not forgotten, nor was he likely to simply let it go; no, he was planning something…she could feel it.
Suddenly the soft sound of the door unlocking sounded through the room and Fleur hurriedly stood up. She would get through this, she told herself as she held her head high and straightened her back; even though she was far from comfortable in the clingy gown it gave her a sort of feminine confidence she so rarely felt in her hunters garb; in a small way, she was thankful for it. Ready now, she walked to the door just as it was opening to reveal a small vampire servant who looked her up with critical eyes. Obviously deciding she looked presentable he motioned for her to follow him as he turned and began down the hallway to Dracula's private dining area. Fleur reluctantly followed him, the growing feeling of dread pooling in her stomach with every step.
----------------------------------------
I think I end every chapter with a cliff hanger…oh well. Ok so I've already started on the next chapter and there's probably going to be some Dracula-on-Fleur action (finally?) but I'm not exactly sure where I want this to go so be patient while I brainstorm.
TEASER::: Hm hm hm, Drcula makes a move. Another interesting plot twist. I finally get to throw in that secret I've been talking about for the lest four chapters. Caliburn makes an appearance. I may have Damien return from his mysterious mission. And what will the rebel leader have to say when they interigate him?? My my my, all the possibilites. I shall enjoys this…
REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW